Painful ingrown hairs are especially common when thick, coarse, curly hair is shaved, waxed, or otherwise removed. The hair can curl back toward the skin instead of growing straight out, creating a painful bump that may become inflamed.
What should you do when you already have a painful ingrown hair?
Start by leaving it alone. Don’t dig into the bump with tweezers, squeeze it, or repeatedly shave over it. That can increase inflammation, cause infection, and leave a darker mark behind.
A warm, clean compress for several minutes can help soften the area and make it more comfortable. Keep the surrounding skin clean and avoid tight clothing or friction while the area is irritated.
If the hair is clearly visible at the surface, you can gently release it with clean tweezers without digging into the skin. Don’t try to pull out a deeply embedded hair.
Should you exfoliate an ingrown hair?
Gentle exfoliation can help prevent future ingrown hairs, but aggressively scrubbing an already painful bump can make inflammation worse.
Once the skin has calmed down, a gentle chemical exfoliant containing an ingredient such as salicylic acid or lactic acid may help reduce the buildup of dead skin that can contribute to trapped hairs. Use products formulated for external skin only and follow the product directions.
How can you prevent ingrown hairs with thick, curly hair?
The biggest difference usually comes from changing how you remove the hair. Avoid shaving extremely close to the skin, use a clean sharp razor, shave in the direction of hair growth, use plenty of shaving lubricant, and avoid repeatedly going over the same area.
If shaving consistently causes painful ingrown hairs, trimming or another hair-removal method may work better for your skin. Laser hair reduction can also be an option for people who repeatedly struggle with ingrown hairs, although results and suitability vary by skin and hair type.
What about the dark marks left behind?
Inflammation from repeated ingrown hairs can leave post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, particularly in deeper or melanin-rich skin. Preventing new inflammation is therefore just as important as treating the existing discoloration.
Don’t pick at the bumps, and don’t attack dark marks with strong acids while the skin is still irritated. Let the inflammation settle first, then consider a gentle routine aimed at gradually improving uneven-looking pigmentation.
When should you see a doctor?
A painful bump isn’t always an ingrown hair. If the area becomes increasingly red, swollen, hot, very painful, drains pus, develops a spreading rash, or doesn’t improve, have it evaluated by a healthcare professional. Recurrent painful bumps in the groin can also have causes other than ingrown hairs.
The goal isn’t to punish the skin into behaving. With thick, coarse, curly hair, less aggressive hair removal and less picking can make a surprisingly big difference.
